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1. Kitchen timer: a timer is  an important tool to have if you are about to embark on a project.  The Invisible Clock is a more sophisticated version of the timer.  This can be worn on your belt and vibrate. It can be set to go off at various intervals (if you want it to go off at a few different points during a meeting for example).
2.  Daily Planner:  A daily planner is essential to record what you intend to carry out on a given day.  It allows you to jot down phone numbers, appointments, meetings and any other important pieces of information you might need to remember.
3.  ADD Planner: If you are still having a hard time getting things done you might need some planning software. The software will generate reminders for you for those all-important meetings, and it will break down overwhelming tasks like “paying taxes”  into more feasible ones like  “find documents, collect receipts, fill out forms.. .”
4.  Keyless locks: If you tend  lose your keys often, install locks that substitute numerical codes for keys.  The cost is around $300.
5. Keyfinder: Not just for keys! You can attach the electronic fob to anything you tend to lose – the TV remote, your glasses, the telephone – and wallah! An Everything Finder.
6.  Intelligent watch: A water resistant watch that set alarms for 15-30 minute intervals with vibrating alarms.  Some of these models are programmable and can store hundreds of phone numbers and appointments.

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If your house is anything like mine a good night’s  sleep is  often elusive.  It’s not just my energetic son, who somehow never seems to tire, that could use a few more hours sleep a night.  It’s also his exhausted parents who get even less sleep than he does.  His bedtime battles, nighttime awakenings, and morning sleep-ins are enough to make any parent want to throw in the towel.  But we are clearly not alone.  Research has shown that 20% of children with ADHD have trouble falling asleep.  That is three times the rate of children without ADHD.  But that is not the most bothersome statistic.  According to a study from England involving 100 parents of children with ADHD, 57% receive less than six hours of sleep and 27% get less than five hours.  More than half of those said children get up more than four times during the night and 42% of them wake up before 6:00 AM.  Lack of sleep is clearly an international phenomenon when it comes to kids with ADHD and their parents.  It’s no mystery that sleep is so evasive to our children.  Many of the same regions of the brain that control attention also regulate sleep.    So how do we help our children get the shut-eye that we all so desperately crave?  As a desperately exhausted parent I have done my research and I am proud to say that I have made some substantial changes to my son’s bedtime routines that have made a big impact on our nighttime schedule.  Here are some things that I have learned:

1.  Your child’s day should be full of exercise which helps the body make the transition between phases of sleep and places physical stress on the body which will ultimately increase the amount of time the body will spend in the deep sleep phase.
2. Try to avoid sugary snacks before bedtime.  A pre-bedtime snack should consist of warm milk and some saltines, or perhaps some turkey  which contains the natural sleep-inducing chemical tryptophan.
3.  It’s important to point out that most sleeping pills have not been adequately tested for their safety and effectiveness in children.  This is true of both over the counter drugs like melatonin as well as prescription drugs.  Medications should only be used after careful consultation with your pediatrician.
4.  Bedtime routines allow fearful children to feel secure and signal the brain to slow down.  Read a bedtime story or allow an older child to read in bed.  Give younger children and blanket or a doll to cuddle with.
5. There are relaxation techniques that you can do to help your child fall asleep.  You can give her a foot rub by making a fist with your hand, having her lie on her back and rubbing her foot gently up and down.  Deep breathing exercises are great relaxation techniques.  Have your child picture an elevator going up and down as he inhales and exhales.
6.  6.The hour prior to bedtime should be devoted to relaxing things like reading and listening to music as opposed to playing video games or even pillow fights.
7.  The bedroom should be completely dark.  All visual distractions should be eliminated.  If your child is fearful of  the dark a dim nightlight should be used.
8.  Background music or white noise is sometimes helpful in quieting down the mind and drifting one off to sleep…

Mom’s Take:

Bedtime doesn’t have mean battle time in your home anymore. If done right it could actually turn into one of your favorite times of the day.  It just has to be eased into and planned well.  Things need to start quieting down an hour prior to bedtime.  That’s when televisions and computers screens need to be shut down for the night.  You might encounter resistance to that idea at first, but it’s well worth the battle.  Bedtime has become so much easier since we have instituted some of the above ideas.  My son has started  falling asleep faster and he’s even managed to sleep through the night.  Now if only I could learn how to do the same…

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 Studies have shown that both children and adults with ADHD have exhibited inconsistent working memories.  Working memory is the ability to hold onto information long enough to be able to accomplish a certain goal.  A recent study published in the journal Child Neuropsychology compared 25 children with ADHD to 24 of their peers without ADHD.  The children were given computer based arithmetic problems and asked to solve them without the use of a pencil and paper.  Then they were asked if a given sum was correct or not.  While the answers of the children with ADHD were just as accurate as the ones without ADHD, the response times were not as consistent.  Many of the children with ADHD took longer to respond.  According to Dr. Julie Schweitzer, associate professor of the M.I.N.D. Institute  and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California-Davis (the author of this study),  this study shows why “working memory may be fine at one moment and poor at another, just as one day a child with ADHD seems to be able to learn and focus in class and on another day seems distracted and not pay attention.”

 The study simply confirms what many parents and ADHD sufferers have experienced daily.  Struggling with your child to study for a test, or complete a homework assignment can be incredibly frustrating.  Fighting to hold down a job of your own can be depressing and often self defeating.   But there is help.  There are games for children and high tech tools for both kids and adults that can dramatically improve working memory and concentration skills for the ADHD population.

1. I read about this game in an article by Dr, Robert Myers, a child psychologist.  He suggested you collect a pile of assorted coins and a cardboard sheet to cover them.  Next choose a sequence of five coins (2 dimes, 2 pennies, 1 nickel, for example) and set them up.  Ask your child to study the sequence and then cover them up with the cardboard.  Ask your child to use the coins in the pile to make the same pattern that he just saw.  Time him with a stop watch. When he is done remove the cardboard to see if he is correct.  If not, have him keep trying until he gets it right.  You can increase the difficulty of the sequences as you go along and watch your child’s memory and concentration improve.
2. The computer offers a wide variety of memory games for kids.  The website Lumosity.com offers adolescents and adults a good brain workout.
3. If you are looking for a high tech approach Play Attention http://www.playattention.com/ is a fantastic option.  Play Attention uses a helmet that reads your brain signals to indicate if you are focusing.  If you are not properly focusing, the game shuts off.  This teaches a child what it means to focus.  Ultimately the games trains your brain to concentrate better and helps to improve your memory skills. When you go to the website click on “ADHD” and listen to “Brody’s story”.  Brody’s mother describes Play Attention very well and she is someone with whom we can all relate.  Play Attention is meant for both children and adults as well.
4. Cogmed Memory Training is another excellent option that has attained proven results.  It is a program that is down-loaded onto your home computer where your child plays video games that work to improve his memory.  The games grow increasingly more difficult as his memory improves and at the end of each week a trainer calls to speak to the parents, answer questions, and encourage the child.  The training lasts five weeks.  It has been shown to improve 75%-80% of the kids treated and MRIs that have been performed have shown changes in the pre-frontal and parietal regions of the brains of the children who underwent the program.  After six months and one year 80% of these children maintained their improved status.  Clearly this program works.  Cogmed is a program that is geared for people of all  ages. The costs range from $1500 to $2000.

Mom’s Take:

One of our favorite memory games is Simon.  Simon is like Monopoly and Life – it’s one of those games that will always be around.  I still remember playing it when I was a child.  Only now if you don’t own it, you can play it for free on your home computer.  Just go to http://www.netrover.com/~crose/memory/memory2.htm and start sharpening your own memory.  Challenge your child  to a few rounds.  Some games just never grow old.

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